


Tiny Dancer

by Stratagem



Series: Chaos Kids [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Gen, SO MUCH FLUFF, family and found family fluff, i just want jester and caleb to dance again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-15 23:36:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21026618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: Caleb and Jester's youngest daughter loves to dance but she doesn't love crowds. Caleb works around that. Also, Caleb and Jester dance, that's a given.





	Tiny Dancer

**Author's Note:**

> For quick reference:
> 
> Widogast kiddos: Leo, 12-year-old tiefling, Bet, 11-year-old human, and Theia is a teeny tiny 5-year-old water genasi.
> 
> Fjord’s kiddo: Reef, 6-year-old half-orc
> 
> Youngest Brenatto kiddo: Della, 7-year-old halfling

Music filled the entire ground floor of the Alegre, the large hotel and theater by the edge of the water that Marion Lavorre presided over in Nicodranas. The Lavish Chateau, smaller yet more extravagant, had burned down during the Dark Wars when the Infernal forces reached into the Menagerie Coast.

The Mighty Nein had purchased a fixer-upper mansion on the waterfront for Marion once the wars were over, and slowly it had transformed into one of the most popular establishments in Nicodranas. Marion had retired from being a courtesan a few years ago and now spent her time running the hotel and finding performance acts to send out through the coastal region. The lively band on stage was one of those potential acts, and judging by the amount of people who had shown up for the evening performance, this band would be a successful one.

Caleb made his way off the dance floor, catching his breath as he weaved between tables, people, and a few pets. He had left Jester behind to teach their son Leo the steps of the reel that band was playing, grateful for a small break. While Caleb loved dancing with his wife, he simply didn’t have her energy or stamina.

Besides, Leo had been happy to take his place, abandoning a conversation with a few other youngsters to join his mother. While some children that age would have been embarrassed to be seen dancing with a parent, twelve-year-old Leo’s soft spot for his family always won out over his pride. Caleb glanced back over his shoulder to see his eldest tripping through the motions, giving the dance everything he had with a great deal of enthusiasm while Jester half-heartedly attempted to keep him on step. She was laughing too much to be very serious about the whole affair.

Not far from them, Veth and Yeza were dancing together, both grinning as they spun around each other. Veth’s dark brown hair, its dark green streaks the only physical reminder of her years as a goblin, was tied in a long braid and dotted with the water lilies and forget-me-nots that Theia and Della had gathered that afternoon. She caught Caleb looking at her and smiled at him before Yeza paraded her away, ducking under Leo and Jester's raised arms.

Caleb found his way to the table in the back corner that the Mighty Nein had claimed early in the evening when they were some of the only people in the great hall. While nowadays the group was often spread throughout the continent, they did manage to come together a few times a month thanks to the magic of strategically placed teleportation circles and teleportation spells. The Alegre had its own circle, courtesy of the whole year Caleb and Jester had spent there when Jester had been pregnant with Leo plus his newborn months.

Fjord was probably the second-hardest to keep track of out of all of them; he spent a great deal of time at sea and on other continents and islands. When Jester had found out he was going to be in port in Nicodranas, she had demanded a meet-up at the Alegre. The only one of their group missing this time was Yasha, but as the sworn Champion of the Storm King, seeing her was exceedingly rare. Beau was the one who saw her the most.

“Did you tap out?” Beau mused, briefly looking up from her drink.

“I had to, I can’t keep up,” Caleb said, dropping down into the chair next to her. He glanced over at the empty chair between her and Fjord. “Where is Bet?”

“Ran off to go mercilessly beat other children at a card game,” Fjord said, “She was excited about their inevitable defeat, so naturally I gave her some money.”

Caleb scrunched his face up. “Please stop funding my daughter’s gambling habit. She does it just to spite us for her name.” Even though she refused to change it, she often complained that she didn't like it.

“Well, look at it this way,” Beau said, “She could either be beating some kids at a game or just beating them the other way. With her fists.”

“I understand the picture.” He poured himself a cup of water from the pitcher in the middle of the table and sipped from it before looking around the room. “Are Caduceus and the rest of the kids back yet?”

“Still outside somewhere,” Fjord answered, raising his voice to be heard over a loud fiddle solo. “Something about Della trying to make vines? I don’t know, they were all really excited about it. Reef probably wants to climb the building with it, gods help us, he’s only been talking about climbing it since we got here…”

“Hmm, maybe I should check on them,” Caleb said. He began to slide his chair back, but Beau snagged the chair leg with her foot and shoved it back in place.

“They’re fine, chill out.”

“Mhmm...” Still, his eyes darted toward the door, where he had last seen his youngest heading out into the evening with Caduceus, Della, and Reef. Beau was right, they were perfectly safe with Caduceus, unless they figured out a way to sneak off. Theia wouldn’t necessarily propose that, but Reef definitely would and Della would go along with it with zeal. Theia would join in just so she wouldn’t be left out.

While Caleb finished off his drink in an effort to keep himself occupied, Caduceus appeared in the doorway, all three kids in tow. Della was sitting on his right shoulder, one hand in his hair, her curly brown hair dotted with the same forget-me-nots that her mother was wearing. Theia was between Caduceus and Reef, her hands tucked tight into theirs. Reef looked like he might run off at any second to join in the dancing, but it was probably Theia’s hand that kept the boy at her side.

People parted for Caduceus, some of them staring as he went by. Della stared back at them, making faces until they had to look away.

When they reached the table and the safety of their large makeshift family, Reef released Theia’s hand and raced over to Fjord, grabbing onto the arm of his chair. “Della still can’t make vines. Is it always really hard to be a druid? Can I have a real rope?”

“I’ll do it tomorrow!” Della declared, though that probably wouldn’t happen. You didn’t just wake up as a druid one morning, though Della seemed to think it was going to happen any day now.

"I'm sure you will," Caduceus said, smiling. "I think the flowers like you, they just need more time to get to know you."

"See!" Della said, waving her arms in the air.

“And why, exactly, do you need rope?” Fjord asked Reef.

“For stuff,” Reef replied. Mischief gleamed in his deep golden eyes, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Good stuff.”

Beau snorted. “You can’t climb the building, shrimp.”

“I could if I had rope.”

Theia darted around the table and climbed into Caleb’s lap, bringing the scent of salt and ocean breeze with her. He wrapped both arms around her, pulling her close. Her dark red hair drifted up to brush his cheek. Caleb gathered her hair and began to braid it, his fingers quick and steady, the motions as familiar as a spell gesture.

“Are you having a good time?” he asked.

She nodded and leaned forward, her eyes on the dance floor. Her foot tapped in the air, and her head bobbed in time with the music, a hum escaping her. If Leo was the musician of the family, Theia was their dancer. At home when Leo played, Theia would spin and whirl about the room.

“Would you like to dance?”

Theia rapidly shook her head, and her lively hair slipped from Caleb’s hands. She sunk back against his chest and grabbed at one of his arms to pull it around her, wrapping both her arms over his.

“I wouldn’t make you…”

Theia held onto his arms tighter. Caleb snapped his fingers, temporarily summoning Frumpkin onto the tabletop. The fey cat purred loudly as he padded over and butted his head into Theia, his paws on her right shoulder. Her grip loosened as she reached up to rub Frumpkin’s head and scratch between his ears.

Crowds tended to overwhelm Theia. While she was naturally quiet and shyer than her siblings in any case, large groups of people tended to make her go silent. She would cling to the people she knew and hide as much as she could manage, usually behind Jester’s legs or Caleb’s coat. Caduceus had headed outside with the three youngest Mighty Nein kids earlier to give her a bit of relief even though he had said it was for Della to practice flower-growing.

“I’d dance with you!” Reef exclaimed, “Come on, Theia, you’re better than everybody, let’s go!”

She shook her head again.

“I can make people leave,” Della said with an all-too-innocent smile. Caduceus had put her down on top of their table, and halfling girl was wandering around, nabbing bites from the snacks on the table. She caught a glare from Beau as she stole some grilled shrimp from her plate and replied by sticking her tongue out at the blue-clad monk.

“And what exactly are you planning, demon child?” Beau asked, grabbing her plate and pulling it closer.

Della shrugged. She sat down on the table, and with Theia calmed, Frumpkin took that as an invitation to wander over and sit down in Della’s lap, nearly bowling her over since he was half as big as she was. “I’ll think of something.”

“I bet you would,” Beau said, “And no, you can’t borrow any firecrackers.”

“Aw…”

“How do you always have firecrackers?” Reef asked, leaning against the arm of her chair. “Can you make firecrackers? Or do you buy them, and how do you have so many?”

She smirked at him before giving his forehead a light flick. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“That’s why I’m asking!”

Caleb glanced down at Theia as she played with the ever-present string that was looped around his wrist, her little finger movements in time with the rhythm of the song. He knew she wanted to dance, but she wouldn’t as long as the Alegre was full of people. Unless…

“Caduceus, you can hear the music outdoors, yes?”

“Yeah, it’s loud!” Reef answered for Caduceus. He had climbed up onto Caduceus’ knee and was helping himself to the firbolg’s meal, much to Fjord’s chagrin. Caduceus didn’t look bothered in the slightest; he never seemed concerned when the children used him as a tree or stole his food or borrowed his shields to build forts or sled down hills. 

"Yep," Caduceus said, echoing Reef.

Caleb hugged Theia then stood up, setting her on the ground. She stepped closer to the table, half crouched like she was considering ducking under it. Della jumped up and scurried to the edge, putting her hands on her hips.

“Where’re you going, Caleb?”

“Outside, to enjoy the evening air, Miss Della.”

“We just came from outside,” Della said.

“I know. But I haven’t been yet.”

“You’ve been on the balcony loads of times,” Della said, “Like a million and two.”

"Then perhaps it will be different on the one millionth and third time."

“Yeah, but why are you going now?” Reef asked.

“What are you guys, judge and jury?” Beau asked, “He can go outside if he wants, damn.” Leaning over, she snagged a loop on Della’s dress and pulled her back over, getting an annoyed yell out of the halfling girl.

Della stamped her foot on the table. “Cuss jar! You owe the cuss jar!”

“Beau always owes the cuss jar,” Fjord said, rolling his eyes, “I don’t even know why we have one, unless we’re planning on buying another mansion with the insane amount of money we’ve all fed to it.”

“Yeza’s idea, remember,” Beau grumbled before she grinned, “And I paid it in advance, so ha!”

“Does that count?” Reef asked. “Can you do that?”

“Hell yes I can.”

“Cuss jar!”

“That’s _not_ a curse…”

As the argument over the cuss jar continued, Caleb reached a hand out to Theia just as she started to drop down under the table. “Would you like to come along?”

A hesitant smile darted onto her face as she took his hand, and he led her around the edge of the room, avoiding the majority of people. She clung to his side, but soon they had reached the balcony door. They slipped outside, Caleb holding the door open for her as she darted out under his arm.

The first floor balcony was massive and covered in tiles painted with silvery designs that glowed faintly in the moonlight. A cool sea breeze rolled off the water and up the steps that led down to the beach, ruffling Caleb’s hair. Theia lifted her face to the wind and took a deep breath, relaxing in the quietness of the night.

Caleb picked her up and set her on the balcony wall, where she raised her arms as if she was going to hug the ocean, the shore, and the whole night sky. Her light blue eyes caught the starlight as she looked back at him.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said softly.

A lively tune led by a pan pipe and drums thrummed from the main hall, spilling out onto the balcony. The music was muffled but still loud, like Reef had said it would be. Caleb held out a hand to his daughter again. “_May I have this dance_?” he asked in Zemnian.

Her uncertain smile from earlier melted into one of joy. “_You may_.” She put her hand in his and jumped off the wall toward him with a deep trust that Caleb never thought he deserved even though each of his children gave it freely. He caught her and set her down.

The instant her foot touched the floor, she spun away from him, slipping through the air and over the tiles like she was part of the breeze off the ocean, a bit of sea foam come to life like an ancient fairy tale. He followed the steps of the song as she whirled around him, graceful beyond her years. She came back and took his hands, a laugh escaping her as he spun her.

She stayed for a moment and then broke away again, adding new movements, staying close and sometimes mirroring him. The balcony door opened, and she paused for a moment before spinning again, hands over her head. Caleb turned to see who had joined them just in time for Jester’s hand to catch his.

“I see how it is, Caaay-leb,” Jester said, exaggerating his name, “So you’re not tired, you're just hiding. I’m extremely insulted.”

“You have caught me,” he said in a deadpan, his hand slipping around to the small of her back as they both easily moved into the dance. “Oh no.”

“This is just really upsetting, getting ditched like that. You’ll have to make it up to me.”

“What’s the price this time, _liebe_? A dozen cupcakes? Diamond earrings?”

Jester’s hand tightened in his, and she stepped closer, looking up at him with half-lidded eyes. “I think I can come up with something more interesting, you know?”

Caleb blinked and then smiled. “Ah. I do think I know.”

“He was just dancing with me, Mama,” Theia said as she flitted up to them, her light pink dress whipping about her ankles. “He didn’t ditch you.”

“Oh? Then maybe I’ll settle for the cupcakes. Maybe.”

Caleb squeezed her hand, preferring whatever Jester thought was more interesting than cupcakes. She winked at him as Theia brightened even more at the sound of ‘cupcakes.’ More so than her siblings, she had inherited Jester’s sweet tooth, and pastries, candy, and baked goods tended to disappear when she was around.

The music indoors slowed, and Theia drifted away, carried off by the melody like a stream following its own path.

“You know, we made some really cool kids,” Jester said, watching her dance, “Like we are so good at that, we should get an award.”

“They get all of their coolness from you.”

Jester rolled her eyes. “You _helped_, Caleb. _Some_ of that coolness is yours.”

If she said so. Arguing about it didn’t seem important right now.

He drew Jester closer, and she dropped her cheek against his chest. Moonlight glittered off the silver jewelry on her horns as she nuzzled against him, both of them enjoying the quiet moment.

Jester hummed a little. “I’m glad we’ll be here for a while.”

“You missed it.”

“Always. Other places are nice, but Nicodranas is the best. And the house needs some work, did you see the paint peeling? Ridiculous, we just painted last year.”

“That was three years ago.”

“Oh shit, really?”

“Really…”

“Well damn.”

“You owe the cuss jar so much money, _liebe_.”

Jester snorted. “Are you going to tell on me?”

“Maybe…”

They were planning on staying in the Mighty Nein’s old home in Nicodranas for a month or so, and doubtless it would be an eventful time. Jester was going to visit with her mother, check on her shipping vessels, the _Nauti-Joke _and _Sea-ly Shenanigans_, and attend a diplomatic meeting with Beau between the Clovis Concord and the Empire. Caleb, in the meantime, would be helping Yussa with some project that the older wizard was being very secretive about. The two of them would both work on the house and balance the kids between them and the rest of the Nein who would be visiting. Maybe Yasha would make it to town before they all split up again for a while.

The peace was broken when the door slammed open, and Reef hurtled out the door, Beau’s shoulder pack in his hands. He looked at Caleb and Jester with wild eyes above an almost-maniacal grin before he took off past them. He surged down the steps and leapt off of the next to last one, hitting the sand and screaming something that sounded a little like ‘firecrackers.’

“Oh, that, that is not going to end well,” Caleb said, shaking his head.

“Did he say something about firecrackers?”

The door slammed open again, and this time it was Fjord and Beau.

“Which way?!” Fjord asked.

Caleb and Jester looked in the direction that Reef had gone, and Beau exploded that way.

“Beau, be nice!” Jester called after her.

Reef shrieked and picked up the pace, but there was no way he was going to outrun Beau. She caught him and they started playing tug-of-war with the bag, both of them shouting at each other as Fjord hurried over to join in the yelling.

“We should probably do something,” Jester said.

“They have this. It's fine."

Reef managed to hold onto the bag as Beau lifted it straight into the air with a roar. 

"Drop it!"

"Never! You'll have to cut off my arms! Give me firecrackers or give me armlessness!"

"That's not a thing, you little--"

Caleb slowly nodded. “Or maybe you’re right, we could lend a hand.”


End file.
